Tungsram 12AX7 ...or is it?

The good, the bad and the ugly.

Moderator: VelvetGeorge

User avatar
Bainzy
Senior Member
Posts: 2119
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:44 am
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Bingley, UK
Contact:

Tungsram 12AX7 ...or is it?

Post by Bainzy » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:17 am

This tube I got for £3 from eBay arrived today. I popped it in V1, it's a very nice sounding tube. It's chock full of mids, there's no harsh frequencies, and there's a sortof 3D quality to the sound.

The tube says on it 'Tungsram', '12AX7', and 'MADE IN ENGLAND' on the front. It looks very similar to my Valvo ECC83's but only has 2 ribs at the top of the glass, one on each side (the valvo has 4). The glass is shaped slightly different than the valvo, it seems just a little bit straighter at the bottom (less rounded).

The structure inside the tube is identical to the Valvo, except that some of the wires/pins are gold or copper coloured where the Valvo's are silver.

Underneath the tube, moulded into the glass in the centre of the pins is a small 'G'. Similarly, inbetween pins 1 and 9 there is a '6' (or is it 9?) moulded into the glass. There's some white printing on the side of the tube close to the bottom, the code reads something like "B5H1".

Here's some pictures of the tube, I'll do a full sound report when I've had more time to listen to it:
"I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you"

Shred Guitar
Plexi Mods - now with new forum, please join!

Koa-dogg
Senior Member
Posts: 217
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:10 pm
Location: Quakertown,PA

Post by Koa-dogg » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:23 am

The code sounds like a Mullard, but then again I'm no expert.

SB Monster
Senior Member
Posts: 322
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 11:51 am
Location: Ireland

Post by SB Monster » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:30 am

I came accross one exactly the same as this before in an old marshall combo, nice score. It's a Mullard. The B is for the Blackburn factory.

Paul

User avatar
Bainzy
Senior Member
Posts: 2119
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:44 am
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Bingley, UK
Contact:

Post by Bainzy » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:42 am

Awesome - I thought it was a Mullard as everything pointed towards that (shape, codes, what I'd heard they sound like etc.) but I didn't want to jump to conclusions without confirmation.

Mullard for £3 - not bad ey? I guess it's worth taking risks sometimes. I bought the tube buy it now with the blurriest picture ever that showed practically nothing about the tube, no description other than 'Tungsram 12ax7', expecting it to be a Tungsram (but secretly hoping for a Mullard!).
"I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you"

Shred Guitar
Plexi Mods - now with new forum, please join!

User avatar
novosibir
Senior Member
Posts: 4654
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:32 pm
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Nuernberg, Germany
Contact:

Post by novosibir » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:30 pm

Paul is right!

It's a Mullard, made in Blackburn/UK in the 1-st week of Aug. 1965

Above the 4 digit code should be another with 3 digits!
I think on this tube it is "I63", what's the tube type.

Larry
The fault almost always is sitting in front of the amp :wink:

Larry's Website now with included Pix's Gallery

User avatar
Bainzy
Senior Member
Posts: 2119
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:44 am
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Bingley, UK
Contact:

Post by Bainzy » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:47 pm

Ah yeh - I can faintly see the remnants of what was a 3 digit code above the 4 digit one, but it's faded away to the point where I can't read it now.
"I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you"

Shred Guitar
Plexi Mods - now with new forum, please join!

Sportsterguy
Senior Member
Posts: 75
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:24 am
Location: Louisville, KY

Who here can remember 1965?

Post by Sportsterguy » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:00 pm

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but I was just wondering as to the people on this board that are old enough to remember 1965.
Go ugly early and beat the 3:59 rush.

User avatar
sub
Senior Member
Posts: 636
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: Hungary (Europe)

Post by sub » Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:29 pm

Very interesting!
tungsram is a hungarian company (since 1896) (was world-famous before communist era :x or maybe after also?)

http://www.tungsram.hu/tungsram/downloa ... 6-1996.pdf

since 1989 General Electric - Tungsram

Bainzy,
Do you know story about "hungarian brand, made in england" tube thing? :)
GibsonMarshallCelestion

User avatar
Bainzy
Senior Member
Posts: 2119
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:44 am
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Bingley, UK
Contact:

Post by Bainzy » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:55 am

All I know is that a lot of Mullard tubes were relabelled by other manufacturers
"I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you"

Shred Guitar
Plexi Mods - now with new forum, please join!

User avatar
sub
Senior Member
Posts: 636
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: Hungary (Europe)

Post by sub » Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:47 pm

Bainzy wrote:All I know is that a lot of Mullard tubes were relabelled by other manufacturers
Ah! Thanks!
GibsonMarshallCelestion

User avatar
sub
Senior Member
Posts: 636
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: Hungary (Europe)

Post by sub » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:34 pm

My Tungsram.
Is this NOS?
Attachments
tubes 016.jpg
(92.55 KiB) Downloaded 1541 times
GibsonMarshallCelestion

User avatar
novosibir
Senior Member
Posts: 4654
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:32 pm
Just the numbers in order: 7
Location: Nuernberg, Germany
Contact:

Post by novosibir » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:45 pm

sub wrote:My Tungsram.
Is this NOS?
Shure! Btw one of the best sounding ECC83 ever made, but needs 8-10 hours burn in when new, before it sounds rich and warm :D

Larry
The fault almost always is sitting in front of the amp :wink:

Larry's Website now with included Pix's Gallery

User avatar
sub
Senior Member
Posts: 636
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: Hungary (Europe)

Post by sub » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:49 pm

:shock: :shock: :shock:
I've lot of tungsram like this (i dont't know where :( maybe in garage)
I found 2 pieces now
These are used tubes (maybe heavy used)
GibsonMarshallCelestion

User avatar
sub
Senior Member
Posts: 636
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:53 pm
Location: Hungary (Europe)

Post by sub » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:55 pm

novosibir wrote:
sub wrote:My Tungsram.
Is this NOS?
Shure! Btw one of the best sounding ECC83 ever made, but needs 8-10 hours burn in when new, before it sounds rich and warm :D

Larry
:? Are you serious?........... Really?
Maybe i'm lucky

Thank you Larry :D
GibsonMarshallCelestion

texwest
Senior Member
Posts: 324
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:39 am
Location: Urbana,IL

Post by texwest » Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:18 pm

I had a mystery tube in my jcm800 v1. It sounds kick ass, everytime I would take it out and try something else it didn't sound as good. It said Westinghouse made in Holland. Its guts didn't look like an amperex though. I finally figured out it was a tungsram made in hungary. Somehow it got mislabeled. These tubes totally rock!!
"'CAUSE IN THE EYES OF GOD
YOU'RE BOTH CHILDREN TO HIM"--Hendrix

Post Reply